Computing devices have become commonplace tools in modern society, and even many small businesses and families now have one or more computing devices. In a small business, for example, multiple employees may use a computer, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant or “smart” wireless telephone. When a family shares a single residence, one or more family members may have a computer. Further, both businesses and personal residences may additionally employ one or more various computing appliances that incorporate or otherwise interact with computers. For example, a family member may use a digital music player, a printer, a refrigerator, a “Voice over Internet Protocol” telephone, a digital music server, a digital camera, or even an environmental control system that includes or otherwise interacts with a computer.
In order to optimize the use and flexibility of these computing devices, a business or family may link them together to form a small private network. Typically, each of the computing devices is connected to a router through a network adapter. The router then “routes” packets of data to and from each computing device. With this type of small private network, the router can in turn be connected to one or more larger private or public networks, such as the Internet. By sending and receiving messages through the router, each networked computing device may then communicate with computing devices outside of the private network. In this arrangement, the router serves as a “gateway” device that provides a gateway to outside of the private network.
While this type of small or “home” network can provide enhanced utility for its member computing devices, even a small network can be very difficult for a non-technical person to set up and maintain. Accordingly, various software developers have created tools to assist novice users in setting up or managing a small network. Conventionally, these tools were embedded in a larger software product, such as an operating system or a utility application. More recently, however, Pure Networks of Seattle, Wash. has developed a dedicated software application tool for managing small networks. This software application tool, available from Pure Networks under the name NETWORK MAGIC, is described in detail in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/634,432, filed Dec. 7, 2004, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/297,809, filed on Dec. 7, 2005, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, which applications are incorporated entirely herein by reference.
While these tools provide varying degrees of assistance, their usefulness is influenced by the amount of information that they can obtain regarding computing devices in the network. For example, if the NETWORK MAGIC software application can accurately determine that a networked computing device is a network camera, it can open the appropriate ports on a small network's router to make the network camera accessible via the Internet, or present an appropriate user interface to manage the network camera or display the camera's video feed.
Currently, however, the amount of information that can reliably be obtained from a network device varies from device to device and from vendor to vendor. No reliable means exists to accurately identify the features and capabilities of a network device. For example, most small network routers conventionally host a Web page that lists various information for itself, such as its make, model, and manufacturer. This Web page typically will also allow a network administrator to view details about the router or control the operation of the router. Thus, this Web page may allow a network administrator to change the password the router uses for authentication. Other types of network devices, however, such as cameras, printers, network-attached storage devices, digital media adapters, and VoIP telephones, provide no formal uniform mechanism for obtaining information regarding the device.
Instead, each network device manufacturer has its own custom interface for accessing information regarding its network device. As a result, the NETWORK MAGIC tool, for example, must employ a variety of heuristics to determine information regarding each network device in a small network. The heuristics attempt to infer the type and capabilities of the network device. This methodology of device detection occasionally may be unreliable, as user modifications or software upgrades to the network device may invalidate the heuristics.